Yes, stupid idiot. This is all her fault. It is completely asinine to stay in a building that you care about at night to see if it would leak. It is completely illogical for a person who doesn't live in fear to be in a building by themselves.

I thought the same thing at first and then realized. Why should it matter what time she is in a building? It isn't like she was walking down the street or sleeping in a park.

The reason she was there at that time is because she was looking into a leaky roof problem in the building as it had started raining heavily.

Of course the robbery isn't her fault, but using this incident as an indictment on the viability of the city of Detroit is stupid. And after re-reading her statement I'm not sure if she intended her words to mean that or whether that was just your translation of it. Her statement never specified "here" as being Detroit, so she could have just been referring to the neighborhood.

I agree with both sides of this issue. On the one hand, I grew up not too far from this 'hood, and it was a gym for kids. Why should she be afraid?

On the other hand, yes, we ought to be honest that incidents like this could theoretically happen anywhere, but are statistically less likely in places like Windsor. There is a bad element who is ravaging the old neighborhoods on the near West side, and it's gotten much worse over the past decade or so.

Also, as a lone woman, I don't stay alone in unsecured buildings at night anywhere, not even in "safe" towns. Once at U-M, a student of mine and I ran into what we think was a homeless man who broke into the departmental office suite (old building, back entrance). We were returning to my office after an evening class, and it was scary simply because when were switched on the lights, the man ran and slammed a back door... we weren't expecting it.

Okay I may sound cynical but so what. It is too bad that this woman from Windsor was robbed in Detroit but Detroiters have been robbed by Detroiters many times over. This happens every day in a poor-ass city. I'm sorry but I can't show more sympathy to this lady because she is from Windsor but I can show sympathy to anyone that are victims to these two-legged rats that roam among us.

The woman was terrified; I'm sure pulling over at a payphone was exactly what she wanted to do. And anyway, where the hell do you find a phone in the city of Detroit or anywhere anymore?
Obviously, if they took her purse, they took her cellphone too.

Originally Posted by Planner3357

So she drove all the way back to Canada before calling police? Thats pretty stupid. Afraid or not....just stop at the local police station and report it while it's fresh in your head.

The woman was terrified; I'm sure pulling over at a payphone was exactly what she wanted to do. And anyway, where the hell do you find a phone in the city of Detroit or anywhere anymore?
Obviously, if they took her purse, they took her cellphone too.

Fair enough....no cell phone...and def no pay phones...but wouldn't you stop at a police station? Thats what I would do. I for sure would not drive to another country......

The woman was terrified; I'm sure pulling over at a payphone was exactly what she wanted to do. And anyway, where the hell do you find a phone in the city of Detroit or anywhere anymore?
Obviously, if they took her purse, they took her cellphone too.

It's not obvious that they took her cell phone. They obviously didn't take her car keys when they stole her purse. And there wasn't a phone in the building?

I thought the same thing at first and then realized. Why should it matter what time she is in a building? It isn't like she was walking down the street or sleeping in a park.

The reason she was there at that time is because she was looking into a leaky roof problem in the building as it had started raining heavily.

To the criminal element it matters a great deal. There are good and bad times to commit a crime. A bad time would be at 6:00PM with many cars in the parking lot.
A good time would be at 12:30 in the morning with presumably one car in the parking lot. I woudn't be surprised if these clowns were casing this place or at least were familiar with the comings and goings of the people in the building.

How many pay phones do you see on a daily basis? And all she wanted to do was get the hell out of there to where it was safe. You guys certainly don't seem to understand that she was attacked and was frightened that the people who did it were still around. And in the article it said she had her car keys because they WEREN'T in her purse. And her passport was in her car. They ransacked her purse, ergo if she had a decent cellphone, it was probably taken. Anyway, I'm sure if you were in danger of being raped and killed you would have been thinking very clearly and laying out exact plans on finding a phone, reporting to the police and waiting at the location where you were just attacked to talk to them.

How many pay phones do you see on a daily basis? And all she wanted to do was get the hell out of there to where it was safe. You guys certainly don't seem to understand that she was attacked and was frightened that the people who did it were still around. And in the article it said she had her car keys because they WEREN'T in her purse. And her passport was in her car. They ransacked her purse, ergo if she had a decent cellphone, it was probably taken. Anyway, I'm sure if you were in danger of being raped and killed you would have been thinking very clearly and laying out exact plans on finding a phone, reporting to the police and waiting at the location where you were just attacked to talk to them.

I absolutely would have called the police at the first chance I got. We aren't even talking about her driving to Dearborn or Farmington Hills or some place where she doesn't have to pass through customs... She had to go into another country! She had to talk to customs agents, answer questions about citizenship and everything. In all that time she never thought to tell someone "hey, I was just robbed and almost got my head blown off!"

Frankly, after re-reading the story again it seems a bit sensationalized. Her fighter's instinct gave her the courage to question three men armed with guns, yet didn't give her the common sense to call the police?! I mean, that's at the most basic stage of how law enforcement works: call the police when you have been victimized so that the police can prevent the perp from victimizing others. It's one thing for her to have alerted the police and had them not respond accordingly. It's another to not alert the police at all so that they could most effectively perform their duty.

Well, the next time your wife/sister/girlfriend/mother is threatened with rape and murder, you make sure she's been instructed to hang around the place where she was attacked so that she can talk to the police. I'm sure they'd appreciate your concern.

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I absolutely would have called the police at the first chance I got. We aren't even talking about her driving to Dearborn or Farmington Hills or some place where she doesn't have to pass through customs... She had to go into another country! She had to talk to customs agents, answer questions about citizenship and everything. In all that time she never thought to tell someone "hey, I was just robbed and almost got my head blown off!"

Frankly, after re-reading the story again it seems a bit sensationalized. Her fighter's instinct gave her the courage to question three men armed with guns, yet didn't give her the common sense to call the police?! I mean, that's at the most basic stage of how law enforcement works: call the police when you have been victimized so that the police can prevent the perp from victimizing others. It's one thing for her to have alerted the police and had them not respond accordingly. It's another to not alert the police at all so that they could most effectively perform their duty.

Well, the next time your wife/sister/girlfriend/mother is threatened with rape and murder, you make sure she's been instructed to hang around the place where she was attacked so that she can talk to the police. I'm sure they'd appreciate your concern.

Especially in a city where the Police barely function and may or may not show up when called.

Well, the next time your wife/sister/girlfriend/mother is threatened with rape and murder, you make sure she's been instructed to hang around the place where she was attacked so that she can talk to the police. I'm sure they'd appreciate your concern.

They never threatened her with rape, according to her own testimony. But that's beside the point. Hopefully, a relative of mine would know better than to run to her car and potentially have the attackers follow her home and do even more harm... before she called the police.

They never threatened her with rape, according to her own testimony. But that's beside the point. Hopefully, a relative of mine would know better than to run to her car and potentially have the attackers follow her home and do even more harm... before she called the police.

Uh, we are blaming this woman for what now?! She wasn't walking down the street alone, she was in a building and you're saying she was putting herself at risk? The way you people talk you act like if you don't have an armed posse or a sherman tank you're putting yourself in harms way.
In a way, this is true in Detroit. However I for one find it TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
Call Detroit police? I think she was smart not to. They wouldn't show up. Just wouldn't. Police Department? They'd likely just be rude to her to have her fill out a report and file it somewhere. If I were Canadian I'd just get the hell out of Detroit and never leave Canada. You know they don't have this kind of shit there. And Windsor is no rich-ass city, they just don't tear each other to pieces like here.
I'll make sure I'm never home alone at night since it is apparently stupid to be alone in a building in Detroit. Looks like I'll have to step up my game if I need to have company every night.

Okay, whatever; you believe what you like. Just because they didn't say 'We're going to rape you bitch' that makes it all okay. She had no reason to be afraid, and the whole thing is a hoax. I'm so glad that you made me see the error of my ways.
Next time someone grabs your wallet, kicks you in the nuts or punches you in the face, if they didn't say they were going to do it, there's nothing to be afraid of.

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I read where she said that she was afraid that they might rape her. But I didn't read her say that they actually threatened to rape her.